SB52– Substitute Teaching Requirements Amendments – Removes the requirement for a teaching license for a long-term substitute – House Sponsor Rep. Tracy Miller – Passed Senate Education Committee 4-0-3, Passed Full Senate 26-1-2, Passed House Education Committee 10-1-4, Passed Full House 67-0-8, Signed by Governor – Education
SB54 – Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship Program Amendments – Bases scholarship on severity of disability, makes other changes to be consistent with other scholarship programs – House Sponsor Rep. Neil Walter – Passed Senate Education Committee 6-0-1, Passed Full Senate 20-5-4, Passed House Education Committee 10-0-5, Passed Full House 67-2-6, Signed by Governor – Education
SB58 – Public School Attendance Amendments – Creates uniform standards for student attendance and reporting so that we have accurate data. Differentiates between in-person and virtual education – House Sponsor Rep. Jason Thompson – Passed Senate Education Committee 3-1-3, Passed Full Senate 29-0-0, Passed House Education Committee 12-0-3, Passed Full House 48-22-5 – Signed by Governor – Education
SB59 – Alimony Amendments – Has Utah judges consider federal tax law changes when awarding alimony to ensure proper amounts; clarifies a definition of “co-habitation” – House Sponsor Rep. Paul Cutler – Passed Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee 5-0-4, Passed Full Senate 22-2-5, Passed House Judiciary Committee 5-4-2, Passed Full House 55-0-20, Signed by Governor – Constituent Issue
SB62 – School Funding Amendments – Seeks to redistribute education funding from shrinking to growing districts, so that we are putting funding where students are, instead of where they aren’t anymore – House Sponsor Rep. Matt MacPherson – Passed Senate Education Committee 4-2-1, Passed Full Senate 17-12-0, Passed House Education Committee 11-0-4, Passed Full House 65-1-9, Signed by Governor – Education
SB65– Minimum Basic Tax Rate Amendments – House Sponsor Representative Val Peterson – Passed Senate Education Committee 4-2-1, Passed Full Senate 18-11-0 – Education
SB69 – School Device Revisions – Moves the state default for mobile devices in schools from “classtime” to the “school day” House Sponsor Representative Doug Welton- Passed Senate Education Committee 6-1-0, Passed Full Senate 27-1-1, Passed House Education Committee 8-3-4, Passed Full House 46-21-8, Signed by Governor – Families and Children
SB85 – Excellence in Education and Leadership Supplement Modifications – Allows more teachers to participate in the EXCELS grant that provides large bonuses to the state’s best teachers (teachers can apply on their own instead of through a District) – House Sponsor Rep. Mark Strong – Passed Senate Education Committee 4-2-1, Passed Full Senate 17-11-1, Passed House Education Committee 12-1-2 – Education
SB88 – School Technology Amendments – Gives parents more transparency in the use of school technology and requires schools to enforce limits on non-educational use – House Sponsor Representative Ariel Defay – Passed Senate Education Committee 3-1-3, Passed Full Senate 21-6-2, Passed House Education Committee 8-2-5, Passed Full House 56-5-14, Signed by Governor – Families and Children
SB89– Healthcare Services Platforms – Makes adjustments to the bill passed last year which uses free market concepts to create a platform to assist in healthcare staffing – House Sponsor Representative Doug Owens – Passed Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee 4-0-2, Passed Full Senate 26-0-3, Pass House Health and Human Services Committee 10-0-4, Pass Full House 65-0-10, Signed by Governor
SB99 – Emergency Reporting Offense Amendments – Makes the continued reporting of non-emergencies (like road noise) the same level of offense as reporting a false emergency – House Sponsor Rep. Stephanie Gricius – Passed Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee 6-0-3 – Constituent Issue – I dropped this bill because there was a similar bill being considered in the House. For efficiency and to reduce the number of bills we just combined this bill with H.B. 113 which passed both houses. See details below in Floor Sponsored Bills section.
SB108– Online Marketplace Amendments – Prohibits a municipality or county from regulating an online marketplace – House Sponsor Representative Doug Fiefia – Passed Senate Business and Labor Committee 6-0-2, Passed Full Senate 23-3-3, Passed House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee 11-0-5, Passed Full House 66-1-8, Signed by Governor – Constituent Issue
SB116 – Income Tax Rate Modifications – Would reduce the income tax rate as revenues grow faster than population and inflation – Passed Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee 3-2-2 – Tax Relief
SB119 – School and Classroom Amendments – Tasks the State Board of Education with developing an open educational resource core curriculum for K-8 grade that is align with Utah’s core standards. – House Sponsor Rep. Tiara Auxier – Passed Senate Education Committee 4-2-1, Passed Full Senate 25-2-2, Failed House Education Committee 5-7-3 – Education
SB130 – River Restoration Amendments – Provides funding for removal of invasive (and very thirsty) weeds from the riverbanks and provides grants for cities to build boat ramps and such so we can play on the river – House Sponsor Representative Cheryl Acton – Passed Legislative Water Development Commission 7-0-7, Passed Full Senate 26-0-3, Passed House Political Subdivisions Committee 7-1-4, Passed Full House 69-0-6 – Signed by Governor – Constituent Issue
S.B. 165 – Economic Mobility Initiative – Creates pathways for schools and support organizations to work together to benefit families with children – House Sponsor Representative Tyler Clancy – Passed Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee 2-1-3, Passed Full Senate 16-8-5, Passed House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee 6-3-1, Passed Full House 63-4-8, Signed by Governor – Families and Children
S.B. 229 – State Employee Benefits Amendments– Changes state employee benefits from annual and sick leave to Paid Time Off, increases postpartum benefits, and adjusts 401K matching and maximum contribution amounts – House Sponsor Rep. Norman Thurston – Passed Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee 4-0-3, Passed Full Senate 19-9-1, Passed House Government Operations Committee 7-3-2, Passed Full House 57-17-1, Signed by Governor – Keeping and Recruiting Quality Employees
S.B. 232 – Regulatory Impacts on Families – Requires state agencies, counties, municipalities, and local school boards to consider the impact of certain governmental actions on families – House Sponsor Rep. Melissa Ballard – Passed Senate Education Committee 6-0-1, Passed Full Senate 22-2-5, Passed House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee 6-0-4, Passed Full House 47-10-18, Signed by Governor – Protecting Families
S.B. 284 – Local Land Use Modifications – Provides clarity regarding land use processes, provides a deadline for challenging, requires cities that have a website to put requirements and fees for application on that site, and provides for an appeal process. – House Sponsor Rep. Jill Koford – Passed Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee 4-0-2, Passed Full Senate 21-3-5, Passed Full House 61-7-7, Signed by Governor – Affordable Housing
SCR2 – Concurrent Resolution Concerning Remembrances of the 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks – Marks the upcoming 25th anniversary of 9/11 and encourages cities and schools to mark the occasion with appropriate ceremonies – House Sponsor Representative Ryan Wilcox – Passed Senate Education Committee 4-0-3, Passed Full Senate 27-0-2, Passed House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee 10-0-1, Passed Full House 73-0-2, Signed by Governor – Constituent Issue
Floor Sponsored Bills
H.B. 68 – Housing and Community Development Amendments – Does not change any policy, but reorganizes the way the government oversees its housing and community development programs to improve efficiency and eliminate a legislative committee. – Sponsor Rep. Calvin Roberts – Passed House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee 6-1-3, Passed Full House 55-13-7, Passed Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee 3-0-3, Passed Full Senate 19-2-8, Signed by Governor – Cutting the Cost of Government
H.B. 113 – Emergency Reporting Abuse Amendments – Makes the continued reporting of non-emergencies (like road noise) the same level of offense as reporting a false emergency – Sponsor Rep. Logan Monson – Passed House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee 11-0-1, Passed Full House 70-0-5, Passed Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee 3-0-3, Passed Full Senate 19-2-8, Signed by Governor – Public Safety and Efficient Use of Tax Dollars
H.B. 126 – Micro-Education Entity Facility Amendments – Clarifies that cities and counties may adopt reasonable land use restricts tailored to their community to ensure public safety when it comes to the running or establishment of a micro-school – Sponsor Rep. Ariel Defay – Passed House Political Subdivisions Committee 7-0-5, Passed Full House 67-0-8, Passed Senate Education Committee 5-0-2, Passed Full Senate 27-0-2, Signed by Governor – Local Control and Educational Choice
H.B. 170 – School Board Referendum Amendments – Grants voters the same power to alter or reform school board decisions through referendum that they already hold over state, city, and county governments. – Sponsor Rep. Rex Shipp – Passed House Revenue and Taxation Committee 10-0-1, Passed Full House 50-21-4, Passed Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee 3-1-3, Failed Full Senate 9-15-5 – Equal Access to Public Referendum
H.B. 184 – Small Lots and Starter Homes Amendments – In no way circumvents local zoning authority, but in a couple of narrow circumstances makes it easier to build single family homes on small lots and started homes – Sponsor Rep. Raymond Ward – Failed House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee 3-6-1 – Housing Affordability
H.B. 219 – Higher Education Civics Amendments – Without dictating curriculum, requires Utah’s general‑education writing courses to use key American primary sources, including founding documents, major Supreme Court opinions, and influential civic speeches to encourage students to practice close reading, critical analysis, and evidence‑based writing in order to strengthen civic literacy so graduates are strong writers and informed citizens. – House Sponsor Rep. Melissa Ballard – Passed House Education Committee 12-3-0, Passed Full House 38-31-6, Passed Senate Education Committee 4-2-1, Passed Full Senate 17-3-9 – Signed by Governor – Improving Civic Knowledge and Engagement
H.B. 228 – Vehicle Sales Amendments – Protects car buyers from a “washed title” by ensuring any significant damage that would normally, within Utah, be attached to the title brand, be disclosed on the title when purchasing a car across state lines – Sponsor Rep. Jordan Teuscher – Passed House Revenue and Taxation Committeec7-0-4, Passed Full House 68-0-7, Passed Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Committee 6-0-2, Passed Full Senate 26-0-3, Signed by Governor – Protecting Utah Citizens Against Fraud
H.B. 231 – Restaurant Tax Repeal Amendments – Prepared, made to order food narrow base high rate Sponsor Norman Thurston – Passed House Judiciary Committee 5-3-3, Failed Full House 21-52-2
H.B. 234 – Education Testing Amendments – In an effort to create more robust and actionable data, this creates an Alternative Statewide Testing Pilot Program to allow a local education agency (LEA) to opt-in administering an alternative to current statewide testing – Sponsor Rep. Karianne Lisonbee – Pass House Education Committee 8-6-1, Failed Full House 32-42-1 – Education
H.B. 290 – Child Tax Credit Amendments – Puts more money back in the pockets of thousands more Utah families by increasing the income threshold so more families qualify for the Child Tax Credit – Sponsor Rep. Tracy Miller – Passed House Revenue and Taxation Committee 7-1-3, Passed Full House 69-1-5, Passed Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee 5-0-2, Passed Full Senate 26-1-2, Signed by Governor – Reducing Taxes
H.B. 312 – School Curriculum and Standards Modifications – Tasks the State Superintendent of Education with overseeing the development of an open educational resource core curriculum for K-12 grades that is aligned with Utah’s core standards, prioritizing areas of greatest need – Sponsor Tiara Auxier – Passed House Education Committee 13-1-1, Passed Full House 57-17-7, Passed Senate Education Committee 3-0-4, Passed Full Senate 20-8-1, Signed by Governor – Education
H.B. 400- Landscaping Water Amendments – Requires cities in the drainage of the Great Salt Lake who have no water efficient ordnance for new construction to enact one, with no enforcement teeth, but allows them (with compliance) to receive funding for residents to replace old grass with water efficient landscaping – Sponsor Rep. Doug Owens – Passed House Political Subdivisions Committee 7-3-2 – Great Salt Lake
H.B. 407 – Public Education Information System – Gives Local Education Agencies (LEAs) a five-year window to become compatible with the data system used by the State Board of Education, including threat assessment data collection – Sponsor Rep. Matt MacPherson – Passed House Education Committee 9-0-6, Passed Full House 72-1-2 – Education
H.C.R. 6 – Concurrent Resolution Regarding the Utah Housing Strategic Plan – Recognizes the Statewide Strategic Plan, designed to streamline Utah housing policies, and requires tracking of the implementation and results so we have a coordinated state effort on housing – Sponsor Stephen Whyte – Passed House Political Subdivisions Committee 5-2-5, Pass Full House 41-26-8, Passed Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee 5-0-1, Passed Full Senate 22-3-4, Signed by Governor – Affordable Housing
Co Sponsored
S.B. 78 – Property Tax Relief Amendments – Supporting and expanding the property tax deferral program I passed a few years ago, by eliminating current circuit breaker programs that shift the tax burden of unpaid taxes to other taxpayers, and instead allows qualifying homeowners to defer payment until the property is sold or changes title – Senate Sponsor Sen. Daniel McCay, House Sponsor Rep Neil Walter – Passed Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee 5-1-1, Passed Full Senate 21-6-2, Failed Full House 28-41-6 – Property Taxes Fairness